Hailey Hammer, center top, seen here earlier this season, led Coupeville with seven points Thursday. (Shelli Trumbull photo)
You never want to get shut out in basketball. Least of all in the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately for the road-weary Coupeville High School girls’ basketball squad, the final quarter of a never-ending season-opening road trip was their worst.
Trailing by just one entering the fourth at Friday Harbor Thursday, the Wolves failed to generate a single point and watched a non-conference game slip from their grasp.
The 34-23 loss capped a brutal stretch in which Coupeville played seven of its first eight games on the road.
The Wolves will finally get some extended time on The Rock, playing four of their next five games at home.
Even then, it won’t all come at once. Coupeville (now 3-5) hosts Orcas Island Saturday, Dec. 22, then Christmas break throws in a ten-day gap before Archbishop Thomas Murphy comes calling Jan. 2.
After making the ferry trip to Friday Harbor in tandem with the Wolf boys, the Coupeville girls hung tough in the first quarter, trailing just 13-12 after the first eight minutes.
“We started strong again in the first, but that faded before the end of the quarter,” said Wolf coach David King. “Despite our passive offense and getting beat on give and goes or dribble penetration we were still in the game.”
After both squads struggled offensively in the second quarter, with the hosts stretching their lead out a bit to 18-15 at the break, Coupeville finally seemed to spark to life in the third. It didn’t last, however.
“We got things going again to start the third by picking up our defense. We got some steals and easy buckets,” King said. “Then the wheels really fell off and we went back to playing passive on both ends of the court.
“Right now we are over-thinking things on offense and defensively not playing up to our standards from earlier in the season,” he added. “We will get back in the gym tomorrow and really get after it and see if we can get back to our pressure help defense and execute on the offensive end.”
Bessie Walstad and Hailey Hammer paced the Wolves with seven apiece, while Makana Stone banged away for four, Lauren Escalle popped for three and Jai’Lysa Hoskins netted a basket.
Leave a comment